


rewrite your history, light up your wildest dreams

by sseagully



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Chat Noir Kagami Tsurugi, F/M, Fluff, Kwami Swap, Ladybug Luka Couffaine, Minor Luka Couffaine/Kagami Tsurugi, Mouse Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Multimouse, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reverse Crush (Miraculous Ladybug), Rewrite, Snake Adrien Agreste | Aspik, Snekmouse - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:55:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26103793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sseagully/pseuds/sseagully
Summary: Marinette Dupain-Cheng is just a normal girl with a normal life. That is, until one day, when she is presented with the Mouse Miraculous to join the fight alongside the famous Cat and Bug heroes of Paris, Nekomata and Coccinche.But she is not brought in alone. She has a partner by her side. A really great partner who is very cute and funny and supportive — and who unfortunately has a giant crush on a classmate at his school.-AU where the Black Cat and Ladybug Miraculous were given to Luka and Kagami at the beginning; Marinette and Adrien are brought on to flesh out the team as the Mouse and Snake wielders.Reverse crush SnekMouse. Side pairing Lukagami. Characters slightly aged up.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Luka Couffaine/Kagami Tsurugi
Comments: 26
Kudos: 84
Collections: August 2020 - Exchange





	rewrite your history, light up your wildest dreams

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Khanofallorcs](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Khanofallorcs/gifts).



> For Khanofallorcs for the August 2020 Fic Exchange on the [Miraculous Fanworks discord server](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) \-- if you have any interest in participating in fun MLB monthly events, or just hanging out with artists, readers, and writers, please consider joining us!
> 
> @ everyone on the server, thank you so much for your encouragement and support, it's always a pleasure to sprint and brainstorm with you guys!

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” Nekomata said solemnly, extending a hand with a small wooden box. “I present you with the Mouse Miraculous, which contains the power of Multiplication. If you choose to accept, you will use this to transform into a warrior and help us to defeat the akuma.”

Backlit by the soft glow of the setting sun, the famed protector of Paris was an awe-inspiring sight. Her suit was all black, paired with a porcelain cat mask marked by wild green slashes that perfectly matched the vibrant color of her eyes; she stood with the kind of authority and grace that could not be faked. Mouth agape, Marinette could only stare at Nekomata, half in admiration and half in fear. Her fingers trembled so hard she clenched them into fists, trying to strangle them into submission. 

Nekomata continued, “Once we have won, you will immediately detransform and return your Miraculous back to me or my partner, whomever you see first. Do you understand?” She pushed the hand with the box forward in one sharp movement, twin tails swishing behind her expectantly.

“I — no,” Marinette stuttered, making no move to take it. “No, I don’t understand. Y-you want to give _m-me_ a Miraculous? B-but why me?”

“Hmph.” Nekomata tilted her head, somehow looking down through her mask at Marinette, despite them being of a similar height. “Have you no pride? No confidence? I thought you to be a good candidate to be a hero, but perhaps I was wrong.”

“But —” Marinette started, then hesitated. She felt so small and insignificant under the hero’s neon green gaze, those dark slit pupils seeming so sharp and thin up close, like they could cut right through her. Too sharp, too perceptive, just too much. Too much.

“How disappointing.”

At those words, before her brain could could catch up with her body, Marinette reached out and grabbed the box out of Nekomata’s retreating hand. She stood there dumbly, heart pounding, lungs stuttering, blood rushing, and with no earthly idea why she’d just done what she’d done.

A soft, tight-lipped smile pulled at Nekomata’s face. It looked vaguely like approval. Oddly enough, it was that guarded but soft show of emotion that niggled faintly in the back of Marinette’s brain, like something she’d seen before but couldn’t quite place. Then that feeling drifted away, like dust spiralling away in the wind. 

“Well? Are you going to open it? I dislike wasting time.”

Nearly shaking, Marinette hesitantly flipped the lid open, letting out an involuntary squeak as a bright light sprung from the box. A moment later, when it died down and Marinette was able to open her eyes again, a small mouse creature with big eyes and even bigger ears floated right in front of her face.

“Ahh!” Marinette screamed, arms flailing. The Miraculous box went flying, thankfully snatched out of the air by an unimpressed Nekomata. 

“Perhaps I should have explained a bit more first,” Nekomata said with a sigh. “Mullo?” The grey mouse bug floated back out, an enthusiastic smile lifting the corners of her lips and showcasing her large teeth. 

“Hi there, Marinette! My name is —”

* * *

“— Sass. It is very nice to meet you,” the snake-like creature said, drawing out each sibilant syllable with a tiny flick of his tongue. Adrien stared at him in amazement, hesitant to blink or even breathe, irrationally terrified that even the smallest reaction on his part could somehow disrupt this magical moment.

“Adrien, as he already said, this is Sass, the kwami of the Snake Miraculous,” the crimson hero Coccinche said with an easygoing smile. “If you choose to accept the responsibility of his Miraculous, Sass will help you become a superhero, giving you special powers just like me.” 

“Yes! I accept, I definitely accept.” Adrien snatched the box from his grasp, grabbing the bracelet and slotting it onto his wrist in a matter of seconds. He twisted his arm this way and that for a moment, admiring the thick silver band which was so unlike anything he was typically allowed to wear at home. The thought of becoming a superhero — becoming someone strong, someone _more_ than just everyday Adrien Agreste with all of his suffocating limitations and responsibilities — was a powerful temptation, so much so it made his mouth water and his bones ache with the force of his longing.

“So, how does this work exactly?” he asked. 

Sass gave a dry, crackling laugh at his enthusiasm. “You are quite impatient in your pursuit of knowledge! This will be an interesting combination.”

Smirking, Coccinche replied, “I think so too.” He then tapped on Adrien’s bracelet. “The Snake is the Miraculous of Intuition. The transformation phrase to activate it is ‘Sass, scales, slither’ and the detransformation phrase —”

“Sass! Scales slither!” A brilliant light engulfed him.

“Eager, huh?” Coccinche blinked once the light died down and a brand new superhero stood before him. He chuckled. “Well, alright then. Let me cut to the chase and tell you a little about your powers next...”

* * *

“So this little…kwami...is going to help me transform into a hero like you?” Marinette said slowly, reaching out with a tentative finger. Mullo nuzzled into it gently before giving it a playful little nip. Marinette giggled.

“Correct,” Nekomata said.

“My power is that of Multiplication, as Nekomata said earlier,” Mullo explained. “You’ll have access to a special move called Multitude once per transformation. It will allow you to split yourself into small tiny copies of yourself, all retaining the strength of your full-sized body. Once you use this power, you have approximately five minutes before you transform back. The Miraculous will beep to let you know when you’re running out of time.”

“I-I think I get it.” Mullo’s instructions seemed relatively straightforward and easy enough to keep track of, Marinette decided. They also seemed to fall in line with what Alya had pieced together after a few months of doggedly following Nekomata and Coccinche for her popular CatTales Blog. 

A small shudder suddenly ran through Marinette at the thought of her super-hero obsessed best friend. If Alya ever found out about this — no, no way. Alya could _never_ know, otherwise Marinette would absolutely never hear the end of it!

A high-toned chirp broke her wayward thought spiral. She watched as Nekomata thumbed the buttons on her baton to engage its communicator screen. “Tsk.” Nekomata tilted her head and clicked her tongue impatiently. “It appears that Coccinche and your new partner are already at the meet-up point. We must hurry.”

“A-already?” Marinette asked, though her brain was mainly stuck on the ‘partner’ piece. She was getting a partner, like Coccinche and Nekomata had each other? The thought that she wouldn’t have to face this new challenge all by herself helped to calm the tempest rising in her heart, dampening her nerves to a more manageable level. Her resolve firmed, bits of courage beginning to shine through like dappled sunlight filtered by a layer of leaves. She placed the simple necklace over her head, letting the round pendant settle in the dip between her collarbones as a strange but also somehow satisfying weight. 

“Okay, then. What do I need to do to transform?” Marinette asked, breathing deeply.

“The transformation phrase is ‘Mullo, let’s get squeaky.’”

Marinette paused. “Seriously?” 

Nekomata watched her impassively, showing no hint of a smile or a chuckle.

“Ah,” Marinette gulped. “Okay then — Mullo, let’s get squeaky!”

Summoned by those words, a pale pink ball of magic appeared before her, playfully zipping inside the Mouse Miraculous. Body springing into action, she leaned all the way back until her palms hit the ground, using that point of connection to leverage her legs up and over her head. Bright ribbons of light wrapped around her, forming a tight bodysuit as she moved. The magic travelled all the way up to her hair, wrapping it into twin buns right on the top of her head, then continued its work on her face, adding a mask of some sort over her eyes. A jump-rope materialized in her hands and wrapped around her hips, simulating a tail.

When the last of the transformation power finally fizzled out, Marinette stood in a heroic pose with feet braced shoulders’ length apart and fists raised. Blinking, she let herself relax out of the stance, a bit bewildered at how her body had just moved on instinct on its own, running through the motions like it was a dance she’d done a hundred times before.

“Not bad,” Nekomata said thoughtfully, taking precise steps around her to evaluate from all angles. “Your outfit seems to be quite minimalistic in style. Actually, it is much less extravagant than I would have expected for an aspiring designer.”

Marinette squinted, that weird familiar feeling prickling again at the back of her mind. “Wait, how did you know that I’m a designer?”

Nekomata paused for an uncomfortable beat, then waved a clawed hand dismissively. “Unimportant. Anyway, have you come up for a name for yourself yet?”

“A name?” Marinette asked, feeling a bit caught off guard at the question. “Oh, yeah, I guess you can’t just call me Marinette… hmm.” Dang it, why had she always tuned out Alya’s CatTale ramblings? Her friend had probably speculated on the origin of their superhero names countless times. What had Mullo said about her special power? The phrase was Multitude and it allowed her to break down into tiny copies of herself, right? Perhaps a spin on that would work… 

Sighing, Nekomata jumped backwards, landing perfectly up on the railing behind her. She extended her baton and pointed to a far-off point on the Parisian horizon. “You can decide while we travel to the meet-up location; we do not have any more time to waste. Follow me.”

Marinette’s lungs stuttered in her chest, an instinctive scream trapped there as she watched the cat hero leap off her balcony, soaring through the air to drop down expertly on a neighboring rooftop. 

She was expected to somehow do that too? No way! What if she fell?

Nekomata’s faraway silhouette gestured impatiently for her to get a move on but fear had a solid grasp on her limbs, keeping her rooted in place. Closing her eyes and drawing deep within herself, Marinette counted to five and breathed in time, doing her best to chase away the panic that prickled underneath her skin. She moved forward with her hands held out in front of her and eyes still closed, one step at a time, until her trembling fingers bumped into the railing. Blinking, she hoisted herself up to stand on top of it, noticing with incredulity just how easy the maneuver felt. Marinette and balance had never been the best of friends, but now for the first time, they seemed to be in absolutely perfect tandem. 

_Wow. Maybe I_ can _do this._

“Here goes nothing,” she whispered to herself. Marinette grabbed hold of that little ember of confidence before it could fizzle out, kicking off from the railing and up into the air. To her relief, she cleared the distance easily, sailing over the street and sidewalks to touch down smoothly on the opposing building’s rooftop. 

“Are you okay? Make sure to keep up,” Nekomata said sternly, then took off before Marinette could respond. 

Making a small face at the superhero’s brusque attitude, Marinette followed suit, watching Nekomata carefully and mirroring her path from building to building. Each successful jump injected a powerful rush of confidence directly into her bloodstream, invigorating her spirits to the point where she actually felt bold enough to start adding in a few twists and flips of her own.

Sooner than she expected, they arrived at their destination, a nondescript clearing in a small park across town from the Dupain-Cheng bakery. As she landed by Nekomata’s side, a calm and cool voice called out, “Well, hello, slowpokes.”

Marinette glanced over and there, leaning against a tree in a very cool pose, stood the famous hero Coccinche. While Alya was the real fanatic of the two, it wasn’t hard for Marinette to admit that the bug-themed warrior cut a dashing figure in his rugged crimson armor and polka-dotted mask. She tried to keep her composure as she offered up a meek little wave.

“Hi,” was all Marinette could manage nervously in return, hoping to high heaven that she didn’t look too starstruck. Coccinche smiled gently and waved back, a kind gesture.

Suddenly, she felt a firm tapping on her shoulder. She turned and saw a boy with wild blond hair dressed in a skintight green bodysuit, grasping some kind of small musical instrument. He too wore a mask on the top part of his face, the fabric’s pattern reminiscent of scales; two little fangs hung at the bottom underneath his eyes to add to the snake motif. The design really accentuated and enhanced his wickedly green irises and pale yellow sclera — his gaze alone would have made him look downright sinister if he hadn’t been wearing the most beautiful, angelic smile she’d ever seen.

“Hey there! I’m Aspik,” the boy said with a jaunty little bow, his smile evolving into a toothy grin. “Your partner for the day. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Ma-erm-M-Mmm,” she replied, fighting the impulse to smack herself in the head at her near slip-up while the rest of her brain tripped over itself to come up with a name. This was no time to be distracted by some pearly-whites and a pair of glittering green eyes, Marinette! “M-Multi — mouse? Multimouse! Yes, that’s me! It’s nice to meet you too!”

The owner of said glittering green eyes lit up. “Don’t you mean it’s _mice_ to meet you?” he teased.

Thankfully, years of being Tom Dupain’s daughter had Multimouse primed with a response. “Oh, you think you’re so _hiss_ -terical, don’t you?”

“Did you just —”

“Nope.”

“But you —”

“I would never be so cheesy,” she replied innocently. She was quite heartened by their easy rapport, feeling at ease for the first time in this whole crazy fever dream.

“Wow,” Aspik said, tone a bit breathless for some reason.

“If you two are done,” Nekomata interrupted, breaking their moment. “It is time for our debrief. The akuma is fixated on star-gazing and will emerge from hiding soon, if the setting sun is any indication.”

Sharing a nervous, excited grin, the two of them scampered over to join their mentors. As Nekomata launched into their battle plan, Multimouse slanted one last lingering look at Aspik, visually tracing a path across the proud set of his shoulders, along the determined slope of his jaw, and up to the unwavering line of his mouth. His verdant gaze burned with a righteous fire that sparked a similar heat in her own veins, lighting her up from within.

 _He looks like a real hero_ , she realized in that moment. _Like he was_ made _for this._

The last bit of uncertainty in her mind wavered and fell to pieces as her strong heart rose to the forefront, desperate to keep pace with this magnetic, wild boy. Something must have visibly changed in her demeanor because Nekomata soon paused to stare at her, Coccinche and Aspik following a beat behind.

Multimouse grinned in response to their unspoken questions. “I’m ready,” she said firmly.

Her team nodded — Nekomata and Coccinche seeming pleased while Aspik shot her a supportive wink — and then they all went back to their planning.

**Author's Note:**

> Khan, I did NOT want to write more than a one shot for this exchange event but your prompt really inspired me, so I hope this is okay! Also, here's hoping you enjoyed the first part; there is much more SnekMouse to come!
> 
> BIG THANK YOU to [Rikkapikasnikka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rikkapikasnikka) for coming up with Luka's Ladybug name, Coccinche! Coccinelle is the French word for Ladybug and Tyche is the Greek goddess of Luck (fun fact: Luka's hero name in canon, Viperion, can be tied back to the Greek god Hyperion).
> 
> Thank you for reading! See you next time!


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